Curriculum

Credit Courses

The 30 credit curriculum for the Online Master of Science in Food Safety program is broken into three parts.
1. Core requirements (15 credits). These include science courses covering food microbiology, toxicology, and epidemiology. Additional core requirements include either U.S. or international food laws and regulations and an introductory course.
2. The Plan B Applied Research Project (6 credits). This portion of the degree includes a preliminary research methods course (VM 830 Food Safety Research Methods) and completion the final project (VM 815 Applied Food Safety).
3. Electives (9 credits). Students are able to choose courses specific to their individual interests and will find that the program offers a large selection of relevant and current topics.

core courses
Course Code Course Name Credits Semester
FSC 810* International Food Laws & Regulations 3 Fall, Spring
FSC 811* U.S. Food Laws & Regulations 3 Fall, Spring
VM 810 Intro to Food Safety & Professional Development 3 Fall, Spring
VM 811 Evolution and Ecology of Foodborne Pathogens 3 Spring, Summer
VM 812 Food Safety Toxicology 3 Fall, Spring
VM 815 Applied Project in Food Safety 3 Fall, Spring
VM 830 Food Safety Research Methods 3 Fall, Summer
VM 831 Foodborne Disease Epidemiology 3 Fall, Summer
elective courses
Course Code Course Name Credits Semester
VM 814 Packaging for Food Safety 3 Summer
VM 821 Food Protection & Defense 3 Fall
VM 825 Quantifying Food Risk 3 Spring
VM 826 Creating a Food Safety Culture 3
VM 827 FSMA/HACCP 3 Spring
VM 834 Current Issues in Food Safety 1-9 Fall, Spring, Summer
VM 840 Anti-Counterfeit Strategy & Product Protection 3 Summer

*One of either FSC 810 or FSC 811 is required, not both.  You may choose one as a core class and choose the other as an elective if desired.

Credit Summary: 21 core credits + 9 elective credits  = 30 credits